Contents
Chapter 14
Overview
Acker confronts his father and learns the king has regained and expanded his powers by extracting gifts from other Heirs, including kinesis, and plans to harvest imprisoned Heirs to satisfy Wren. Feigning agreement, Acker seeks Greta, frees her sight, and hears a dire prophecy: this winter, shifting allegiances end with Kenta’s king prevailing.
Summary
After midnight, Acker’s father enters Acker’s chambers to confront him for tracking his movements. The king casually reveals restored fire magic and startling kinesis, implying he has amassed multiple gifts. He admits to a method of transferring Heir powers to a new host, effectively killing offenders and taking their magic.
Acker restrains his rage, considering assassination but masking it. He plays along, steering the conversation to ethics and numbers while the king confirms a pact with Wren is truly about supplying magic to Alaha, not land. The king plans to collect imprisoned Heirs from lords to meet Wren’s demand and laments lacking a trustworthy oracle.
Once the king leaves, Acker slips through secret passages to the shunned library. He asks Greta, the king’s Bonded oracle, for a vision and unlocks her mangi collar to free her sight despite the risk of the king discovering it.
In trance, Greta delivers a stark prophecy: bodies will lie in waste, allegiances will change, and the king of Kenta will prevail, likely in winter. Shaken, Acker checks on Greta and presses for hope of breaking blood oaths, but she insists none exists short of mutual death. Her resignation underscores the Bond’s inescapable pull and the looming triumph of the current king.
Who Appears
- AckerPrince; confronts his father’s secret power theft, feigns support, and seeks Greta’s prophecy through secret passages.
- The King of KentaAcker’s father; reveals stolen gifts, including kinesis, plans to harvest imprisoned Heirs to supply Wren.
- GretaOracle and the king’s Bond; freed of her collar to prophesy that Kenta’s king prevails in winter.